Bottle wiping device for bottle vending machines



Oct. 15, 1940. M. H. VOIGTRITTER 2,218,015

BOTTLE WIPING DEVICE FOR BOTTLE VENDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 21, 1937Patented Oct. 15, 1940 BOTTLE WIPING DEVICE FOR BOTTLE VENDING MACHINESMax Hermann Voigtritter, Chicago, Ill.,- assignor poration of Illinoisto Mills Novelty Company, Chicago, 111., a cor;-

, Application October 21, 1937, Serial No. 170,231

I 4 Claims.

This invention relates to bottle vending machines of the type disclosedin my pending application, Serial No. 170,230, filed of even dateherewith'. Reference is made to that application for description of themachine of which the device of the present invention forms a part, andthe disclosure of that application is incorporated herein and made apart hereof by reference.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel bottle wipingdevice for removing a film of moisture from a bottle which has beenstored in a bath of refrigerated water. More specifically, it is myobject to provide a bottle wiping device which is adapted to operateautomatically upon a bottle as it issues through the discharge openingof a vending machine of the type above referred to. To this end, theinvention provides a wiping device in the form of an annular collar ofresilient material arranged in registering relation with the 20 deliveryopening of the vending machine so that the bottle is forced to passthrough the wiping device as it issues through the delivery opening. Theinternal diameter of the wiping collar is smaller than the maximumdiameter of the bottle, 5 and arrangement is made for passing the bottlethrough the collar neck first, so that the shoulder portion of thebottle will spread the collar and cause the latter to tightly hug thesurface of the bottle and wipe it dry with a squeegee action as 30 thebottle passes through.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a collar of suchconstruction as to secure a maximum efliciency of wiping action, onewhich will not quickly lose efliciency through deterioration,

35 and one which may be easily repaired. This ob ject is achieved bybuilding up the collar from a plurality of rubber bands arranged on anannular spider in chordrelationship to the spider so that the interiorwiping edge of the collar is formed by 40 the central regions of thebands where they cross each other.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of a device embodying the invention when consid- 45ered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a portion of a vending machineemploying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the wiping de- 60 vice and flangedguide sleeve on which it is supported, showing a portion of a bottlepassing therethrough;

Fig. 3 is a similar view without the bottle; Fig. 4 is a plan view ofthe spider of the wiping 55 device;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the wiping device in assembled relationship;and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the rubber bands used in buildingup the resilient collar of the wiping device.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the cover of the vending machine described inthe pending application hereinbefore referred to, is designatedgenerally by the reference character I 0. In the cover I0 is a bottledelivery opening ll, defined by an an- 10 nular collar I 2 set into thecover l0.

Mounted upon a frame member beneath the cover It] (the frame member notbeing shown) is a bracket l3 having a depending sleeve portion l4 formedintegrally therewith. The sleeve l4 has 15 an integral guide skirt 15extending downwardly therefrom. Said skirt and sleeve receive the bottleI6 from elevator mechanism I1 and guide it upwardly through the deliveryopening II.

Mounted upon the bracket I 3 is a spider I8 of sheet metal or anysuitably stiff material, which has three openings [9 through whichscrews 20 are threaded into the bracket l3. The openings 19 are formedin depressed, cup-shaped bosses 2| formed in the spider [8, which servethe double function of allowing the heads 22 of the screws 20 to bereceived in the plane of the spider I 8 and forming feet to support thespider l8 in a position spaced above the bracket l3.

In the periphery of the spider l8 are a series of equi-distantly spacednotches 23. Rubber bands 24 are stretched between spaced notches 23,each band embracing a portion of the periphery of the spider l8 andbeing arranged in chord relationship with respect to the spider. All thebands are arranged so that their central regions are spacedequi-distantly inwardly from the inner edge of the spider [8. Thus thebands cooperate to form a resilient, readily distensible collar having acentral opening 25, which is substantially 4o circular.

As the neck or shoulder portion of bottle I6 is forced through thecollar opening 25, it will engage first the lower reaches of the bandsand then the upper reaches thereof, stretching and spreading them untilthe collar has enlarged to the full diameter of the bottle. During thisprocess, each band will be stretched and slightly curved around a smallportion of the periphery of the bottle and will wipe that portion freeof moisture.

Because the bands slide relative to each other and allow the collar toenlarge simply by bending laterally, the resistance oflered to thepassage of the bottle is negligible. At the same time the wiping actionis very efficient. v

, It will be understood that the invention contemplates also the use ofa solid collar of rubber or similarly resilient material arranged Justbelow the delivery opening of the machine so as to discharge themoisture back into the liquid chamber of the machine, but a particularlyefilcient form is that shown wherein the collar is built up of rubberbands. One advantage of the rubber-band form over the solid collar isthe fact that the collar formed by the rubber bands will not developcracks in its interior periphery as would be possible in thedeterioration of a. solid collar, and thus is not subject to decreasedwiping efliciency as would result from the development of such cracks.

Another advantage oi. the specific form of collar shown is that one ofthe rubber bands, ii it breaks, may be quickly replaced.

A further advantage is the utilization of the common rubber bandeliminating the necessity of employing rubber molds for the formation ofthe collar. I

It will be understood that the foregoing description is illustrativemerely and is not to be taken as limiting the scope of the appendedclaims, to which reference should be made in order to determine the truescope of the invention.

I claim as my invention, 1

1. In a bottle wiping device for a bottle vending machine of the type inwhich the bottle, during a portion of its movement through the machine,is caused to move along its own longitudinal axis, a bottle wipingdevice comprising a resilient collar adapted to be disposed in suchposition that the bottle will be forced through said collar during suchaxial movement, said collar comprising a rigid spider in the form of aring and a plurality of rubber bands stretched upon said spider in chordrelationship to said ring, ex-

tending across the central open of the latter, the central regions orsaid bands, where they cross each other, forming together a circularopening to receive the bottle.

2. In a bottle wiping device for a bottle vending machine of the type inwhich the bottle, during a portion 0'! its movement through the machine,is caused to move along its own longitudinal axis, a bottle wipingdevice comprising a resilient collar adapted to be disposed in suchposition that the bottle will be forced through said collar during suchaxial movement, said collar comprising a rigid spider having a pinralityof notches arranged in a circle, and a plurality of rubber bandsstretched between said notches in uniform, chord relationship to saidcircle, the central region of said bands, where they cross each other,forming a circular opening to receive the bottle.

3. A bottle wiping device comprising a rigid spider in the form of anannular ring, and a plurality oi rubber bands stretched upon said spiderin uniform chord relationship thereto, the central regions of saidbands, where they cross each other, forming a circular, distensibleopening to receive a bottle.

4. A bottle wiping device comprising a bracket, a rigid spider in theform of a ring having a plurality of depressed bosses formed therein,said bosses being apertured, said spider being secured to said bracketby elements extending through said apertures and into said bracket, saidbosses supporting the spider in a plane spaced above that of thebracket, and rubber bands embracing portions of the periphery of saidspider and stretched thereacross in chord relationship thereto, theircentral regions, where they cross each other, cooperating to form adistensible, circular collar to receive a bottle. 1

MAX HERMANN VOIG'I'RI'ITER.

